


FEMALE JASON TODD

by Eliana_debrey



Series: challenges and events [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Secret Crush, Secret Relationship, fem!Jason Todd - Freeform, intrusive family, quid pro quo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26407051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliana_debrey/pseuds/Eliana_debrey
Summary: My works for the female Jason Todd week
Relationships: Day 2: - Relationship, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd/Damian Wayne, Jason Todd/Slade Wilson, Selina Kyle & Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown& Cassandra Cain&Duke Thomas&Jason Todd& Harper Row&Alfred Pennyworth, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Series: challenges and events [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055321
Comments: 20
Kudos: 127
Collections: FemJay Week 2020





	1. Relationship with Villain

Bruce was worried. His daughter hadn’t not been coming to the family dinner three weeks in a row and it was starting to get on everyone. Her siblings were getting snappy and suspicious.

“You’re sure you didn’t say anything last time she came?” Dick asked.

“I’m telling you I didn’t!”

“Maybe you think you didn’t, but we know how you are Father,” Damian added.

“I feel a little bit…”

“They are right, Bruce. You don’t really know how to talk to her,” Tim said watching the TV. Duke nodded from the corner.

“What did you talk about last time she came?” Cassandra asked.

“Just a case, I told her to be careful because Slade was in town,” Bruce answered. They exchanged a look.

“You didn’t say that she wasn’t good enough to take him down, right?” Harper asked sitting on the table.

“No! I told her to be careful and warn us if she met him. I said that Slade was dangerous and that she should take care of herself.”

“Maybe something you did?” Stephanie asked.

“Okay, everybody out of my office,” Bruce decided. “I’ll go to her flat and ask her if you’re okay with that?”

“Try and stay calm, master Bruce. You know that when you’re not in a good mood you can be rather dry,” Alfred suggested. Bruce shot him a betrayed look.

  
Which was why Bruce Wayne went to visit his daughter at four in the afternoon to have tea and scones with her. He wanted to know why she wouldn’t come and if she was alright. He knocked on the door and waited. He heard some muffled sounds from being the door, and his daughter’s laugh.

“Let me go, it’s probably the delivery!” she cried laughing.

Bruce didn’t catch the answer but he stepped back. She was with someone, his daughter was with someone and he was going to intrude. He hoped it was Roy, the boy was nice, he would take care of her.

“Hello! Sorry for…Dad!” she looked back and closed the door a bit. “What are you doing here?” she asked pulling on the huge shirt she was wearing. Oh. This was a man’s shirt.

“I…Sorry for barging, I wanted to know if everything’s alright? You didn’t come yesterday,” Bruce explained smiling. This was not Roy’s shirt, the boy was not that large. “We were getting worried, and you know with people sighting Deathstroke around I wanted to be sure nothing happened to you,” he heard a small laugh from the flat and knew there was someone inside. She scowled at the man inside.

“No, I’m fine! I just…someone came and I hadn’t seen them for the longest time. I’m sorry, I should’ve warned you I wouldn’t be here for the next weekend,” she smiled at him. “As for Deathstroke, don’t worry he wouldn’t hurt me,” the man inside chuckled but coughed to hide it. So, he was from the mask community if he knew Slade.

“Okay, can we expect you this weekend?”

“Ah…actually, my friend is leaving next week so I won’t come this weekend but the one after should be alright,” she said pushing her hair from her face, showing a huge hickey on her throat. Bruce stared at it and then looked elsewhere.

“See you, Dad!”

“See you, sweetheart,” she closed the door in front of him but Bruce heard her snapping at the male inside.

“I cannot believe you! He was right here, asshole!”

Bruce left with the scones and went back to the manor. Alfred gave him an unimpressed look and Damian glared at him.

“You’re happy with yourself! She’ll never come back now!” the boy practically screamed.

“Wow, calm down, Damian. She was with…someone when I went to see her. We talked, she is going to come back in two weeks,” Bruce explained.

“What do you mean, someone,” Dick asked from the kitchen.

Great, now Jay was going to kill him. Bruce sighed and walked with his son to the kitchen where everybody was eating or doing homework. He sat and took on of the scones he had brought back.

“Like an adult male, with her, in her flat, spending time with her.”

“Like, dating you mean?” Duke asked.

“Most certainly,” Bruce agreed. Every one of his children took their phones and started texting. “What are you doing?” he asked confused.

“Asking our friends who needs a special family warning,” Tim answered.

“You can’t just intimidate her date,” Bruce said.

“Not intimidate, warn,” Dick smiled.

They waited, watching their phone once the texts were sent. Bruce eyed his phone wondering if he should contact the league and ask if his baby daughter has been seeing anyone they knew. The shirt could’ve been large enough for Hal Jordan. Bruce gritted his teeth.

“Nothing,” Tim said.

“Same for me,” Damian added.

No one knew. No one knew that meant it was a heavily guarded secret. Bruce sighed, maybe they should leave her alone.

“I’m calling Roy,” Dick said. The others agreed.

“What’s up Dickie?” Roy answered on speaker.

“Who is dating my sister?” Dick said without warning.

“Oh shit, shitshitshitshit,” Roy muttered. “I…maybe go and talk to her first, alright? She wants to talk to you but is rather worried about your reaction.”

“What do you mean?” Damian growled.

“Well, you’re…overbearing? Control freaks? Worrywart?”

“Intrusive,” Kory said from behind Roy.

“Yeah, that too. She’ll tell you, give her some time okay? Bye, Dickie love ya,” Roy hung up.

“That’s not concerning at all,” Tim said.

“We should go and see her,” Dick said completely ignoring Roy’s advice. The others agreed.

“Maybe, maybe we should let her handle it,” Bruce suggested.

“Are you mad? She’ll get hurt! What if it’s someone who wants to hurt her! What if they know about her identities!”

“I think it’s a mask. She’ll be fine.”

Bruce kept thinking about the mystery man but never tried to do anything and it was killing him. He liked to know things, he wanted to know who the man was and research his past and see if he was a fitting match for his daughter, but he stayed in the cave and tried his best to not go back to the flat and trust Jay.  
One night, as he was alone in the cave, he heard the roar of a bike. He knew the sound, he could recognize it anytime. She jumped from her bike, slammed her helmet against a table, and walked to Bruce. Oh, this was the murder walk. He was going to get eaten row and then she’ll spit him back.

“Tell your fucking children to stay out of my life, Bruce!” she screamed. Good, she wasn’t exactly angry at him. He could deal with that. “I know you told them about the guy I’m seeing!” or not.

“I just mentioned him,” Bruce smiled.

“Bullshit! Dick called Roy! And now they are always watching me! They are watching my flat, Bruce! Tell them to step back!” she roared.

“Did you try talking to them?” he asked.

“I did! You know what they told me?”

“I guess I will in a few seconds,” Bruce answered.

“They told me that he should ask you before even looking at me, that he had to come and introduce himself to each one of them and then they’ll decide if he is suitable!” she was definitely screaming. “I’m not your property, Bruce! They can’t just say that!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll talk to them. Make them respect your boundaries,” Bruce said. She stopped.

“You’ll do it? For real?”

“Yes, I’ll tell them to leave you alone.”

“Thank you,” she sighed. “But tell them that if they don’t I’ll destroy them.”

“Duly noted,” Bruce smiled. She sat next to him.

“Thank you. Sorry for screaming, I thought you asked them to do it.”

“I understand. It’s fine, I’ll take care of that,” he shoved her with his shoulder. “I do want to meet him, though. He managed to steal your heart, he must impressive,” she gave him a small choked up laugh.

“Yeah, about that… better not get your hopes up, alright? He isn’t exactly what you think is suitable for me.”

“Please tell me it’s not a Green Lantern, I’ll accept anyone but a Lantern.”

“Yeah, when you meet him remember you said that okay?” she said looking at the computer. Bruce gave her a puzzled look.

“And when can I meet him?”

“When I’ll think you’re ready.”

“Am I?”

“Not really,” she said looking down.

“It’s fine, take your time, Jay. We’ll be here at the corner.”

“Thanks, Dad, it’s important to me,” she looked back at him and smiled. “Alright, so about that case with Black Mask!”

  
Three days later, while Bruce had been in the cave, reading the report that Jay had given him about her case. She had made a wonderful job and he couldn’t be more proud of her. Her siblings understood slowly that they were a nuisance and left her alone, the crisis avoided. The boys were in town to grab some ice cream, if Bruce remembered correctly, he had then the entire afternoon for himself and do what he wanted without being interrupted.  
The computer beeped to life and Bruce jumped. Slade Wilson in civilian clothes was in Gotham, he was holding a bag and had a hoodie that covered his face but the program had found him. He was in Park Row near Jay’s apartment. Bruce wanted to take the suit but he couldn’t people would notice. He followed Slade until he entered a building, Jay’s. Bruce gasped and ran to his fastest car. He couldn’t believe it, he let his guard down and stopped watching for Wilson even though he knew he was in Gotham. Of course, it was for a hit, of course, he was here for a job, and Red Hood had stirred some trouble in Gotham Underworld. Bruce sped up.  
He parked in front of Jay’s block and ran up the stairs. Bruce knocked on the door, ready to jump on the criminal. His daughter opened the door, frowning.

“Dad?”

“Deathstroke’s in the building. I saw him,” Bruce explained. He watched Jay taking a deep breath.

“Listen, I’m fine. Go home, Dad. I can take care of myself.”

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife,” Bruce recited. Jay sighed, she was starting to get angry. Bruce heard some movement coming from the flat.

“You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you,” Jay gripped the door. “Are you serious? The code right now? I can’t believe you! Just trust me will you? Wilson won’t hurt me!” she said loudly.

“Unless you’re asking for it,” the voice said from behind the door. Jay froze, she closed her eyes, opened them slowly, and glared at the man behind the door.

“Are you serious? Are you fucking serious? I can’t believe you…You know what? You’re dealing with this shit alone,” she said through her teeth

“Jay, wait, it was just a joke,” the man tried.

“Fuck you,” she answered.

“That’s the plan,” the voice answered. She looked at him, lips in a fine line, eyes wide open.

“You really don’t know when to stop, do you? When this is over, I’m killing you.”

Bruce was still in front of them. Completely frozen. He knew that voice, he had heard it a lot during their fights. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t…This couldn’t be who Bruce thought it was. He steeled himself.

“Is this Slade Wilson in your flat, Jane?” Bruce growled.

“See what you’ve done? He is calling me by my name.” Jay turned to Bruce. “I don’t want any fight in my flat, the first fist flying I see you get both thrown out. Understood?”

Slade Wilson was leaning against the counter of Jay’s kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hands, no shirt, eyeing Bruce. It was as if he was a master of this place. Slade smiled at Bruce behind his cup and waited until Jay came next to him, he slid closer to her.

“Stop that,” Jay warned Slade. He smiled and sat in a chair. “Do you want some coffee, Dad?”

“Yeah…I mean sure, Jay.”

They sat in silence, Bruce with his cup between his hands watching the coffee turning. He took a deep breath and tried to talk but couldn’t. Bruce looked up and saw his daughter worried face.

“How long? How long have you been together.”

“A year,” Jay answered.

“How?”

“You remember two years ago when I was in Spain for some traffic? Slade helped me around at that time. We kept on working together from time to time,” she answered honestly.

“Who else is aware?”

“Roy, Kory. They…hmm…stumbled upon us one day,” Slade chuckled like there was a joke Bruce missed.

“I see. Did you talk to Dick about that?” Jay winced.

“Not really. I wanted to talk to you first and then deal with them,” she confessed.

“You might think of something quickly. I warned them when I came here. I thought you were in danger,” Bruce said softly.

“Oh, this is going to get interesting,” Slade said behind his cup.


	2. Stray!Jay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of FemJay week2020  
> Stray!Jay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> thank you for the kudos and comments for the first day!!!! <3  
> Hope you'll like this one!  
> It's a JayDick pairing ;)

That’s a girl, Dick realized after a moment. He froze and watched the Cat using a rope to fall to the ground. He licked his lips and suddenly understood Bruce and his problem with Selina. If he could watch this one work for the end of his life he would never catch her. She opened her hand, made a short but strong movement freeing her claws, they shone in the moonlight: diamonds. Dick stayed put he wanted to see her doing it, he had to catch her redhanded. She opened the small glass with her claws and a small suction cup, put the cup between her feet, holding it here. Dick slowly looked back to her hands his eye moving slowly from her feet: it wasn't Selina but she had the same air around her.

  
Her hand slipped in the glass case and in a matter of seconds she had proceeded the exchange, she put the small blue diamonds in her pocket and pulled her hand back. She was gracious, everything was calculated and perfectly accomplished. He had to get moving if he wanted to catch her.

  
Dick threw one of his escrima sticks to the glass case breaking it, switching the alarm on. The Cat turned, hissing. She saw him and gave him the finger before starting to climb the rope. Dick smiled, he was a trapeze artist, no one could beat him in the air. She felt him climbing behind her and snarled, literally. Dick was closing the gap between them when she suddenly stopped and dropped twisting the rope around her leg. He watched her passing in front of him, letting the rope go and catching it under him. He smiled and dropped to slide along with the rope. She looked up and smiled like a predator. She pulled the rope hard and Dick realized his mistake, he didn’t know how or when, but she had managed to twist the rope around his ankles and tie them together. She was good.

  
He dropped headfirst but was stopped mid-fly, head down, arms over his head he tried to rise but she was faster. She took a small piece of fabric, tied it around his hands, and pinned it to Dick’s pant.

“Catch you next time, Robin,” she smiled, jumped on the rope, and climbed it to the top.

Dick stayed dangling like an idiot waiting for Batman to go and get him. He tried to use his second escrima stick but it was secured against his back because of his arms. Bruce arrived ten minutes later, the small pull on his lips betraying his amusement.

“What happened, Nightwing?”

“Let’s just say that a bird shouldn’t go after a cat,” he answered looking at his mentor. “We’ve got a new player in town, Sheriff, she’s good,” Bruce cut the rope and waited for Dick to stand up.

“Selina did say she was coming back,” Bruce said almost fondly. Dick got his sticks back and followed Batman out of the building not really listening to Bruce.

  
She was there again, eating ice cream on a roof, watching Gotham. He dropped next to her and started the fight. She answered every punch and kick like a professional, Dick was almost impressed. He kicked her ice cream to the ground. She froze and looked at the food splashed on the roof. She turned and growled.

“That was a mistake, Birdie,” she jumped on him and pinned him to the ground.

“Don’t be mad, pretty sure you stole it anyway,” Dick teased.

“I would never steal Paulo’s ice cream,” she hissed. He kicked her over him. She twisted and landed crouching on the ground, one leg out the other folded under her. He tried not to get distracted by the leather around her thighs.

“Whatever you say, kitty cat,” Dick answered waving with his hand.

“I already told you to never call me that,” she said jumping on him.

“Say, lady, don’t confuse me with one of your other flings, first time talking to you,” she stopped and didn’t punch him.

“What?”

“I've never talked to you,” he repeated.

“You can’t be serious,” she said it like an insult.

“Hey…” she jumped from the roof and ran away.

Dick scratched his head. Did he say something wrong? He searched for her the entire night but didn’t find her. She had disappeared, maybe he should have gone to Selina and ask her where her friend stayed. He didn’t, last time he went to her flat a small angry gremlin had attacked him. He smiled, his relationship with Selina’s little protégé had started the wrong way but he managed to become really close with the boy. Stray had left the city a few years ago without a word to Dick, it didn’t hurt anymore but he thought they had been close enough to talk to each other.

  
Took three weeks for her to appear again, this time with Selina. Batman had deduced they were going to attack a rich man and steal one of his paintings. The girl was behind Selina, if she had a cat tail it would have been moving aggressively. Selina walked up to Bruce and started to tease him a bit, telling him to let them have this one. Dick made one step forward when Selina’s whip cracked in front of him.

“You stay right here, Boy Wonder,” she hissed. He recoiled, Selina hadn’t been that aggressive since Stray, he had almost forgotten how protective mama bear could be.

“Alright,” he said holding his hands up.

The mystery girl sat on the roof edge looking down. Dick glanced at Selina but the woman was still watching him with a nasty smile. He sat on his roof edge and waited. The other girl was stealing a glance at him. He hid his smile, maybe next time he would have to bring some tuna to get her to trust him. He heard the clicks of Selina’s heels behind him.

“Goin to make her cry again?” the woman asked.

“She didn’t cry over some ice cream, right?”

“No,” Selina answered sitting down next to him.

Dick watched as Bruce sat next to the girl and started talking to her. Dick could almost imagine her with ears standing with interest, he chuckled. The girl started talking so fast it was difficult to understand her from afar, her hands were moving around her mimicking explosions and some fights. Dick heard Bruce laughing and saw him ruffling the girl’s black hood. She pushed Bruce’s hand pouting.

“I don’t know why she cried,” Dick said.

“Then you are an idiot, Dick Grayson.”

“If someone could just tell me,” he tried.

“No, it’s too fun this way.”

  
Dick met her again. He had been fighting again Penguin’s underlings when she fell next to him, claws out.

“Need a hand?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” he answered dodging a baseball bat.

She licked her lips and jumped into the fight. She was efficient and they worked well together like that had done this a hundred times. Dick was impressed and a bit satisfied, they could work together like Bruce and Selina in the future. He dodged a punch and she kicked the man. They stared at each other for a moment and then laughed.

“Good work here, you gotta tell me who taught you that move though,” she stopped and stared at him.

“You really are the worst,” she grappled away and ran. Dick smiled nervously, what the hell just happened?

He didn’t want it to end like that so he followed her. She ran towards Selina’s part of the town like she had the devil behind her. He stopped when she jumped on Selina’s fire escape. So they lived together, made sense but a bit weird for a friend to live with Selina Independence Kyle. She switched the light on and sat on a sofa, head in her hands, shoulders shaking. He saw her taking a deep breath, ripping her goggles from her face, and throwing them against a wall.

  
Wow. He had been expecting pretty, but not that pretty. A long straight nose and freckles on it and her cheeks. He had seen her lips before and had tried not to get too distracted by them, and yet here he was completely mesmerized. She left the room and switched the light off, darkness taking her place.

Dick tried not to think about her, but he couldn’t stop. She wasn’t pretty, she was gorgeous and good at what she did. He really did enjoy watching her work, he caught himself thinking he’d love to bring her to the circus and see if she could follow him in the air. She could, he was sure she could.  
He found her on a roof again next to a gargoyle. He smiled at the gargoyle, it had been Stray’s favorite a while ago. The boy had told Dick he could say anything to the gargoyle and they would keep it a secret. Dick shook his head and sat next to her.

“Hey, Robin, going to not remember me again?” she said tiredly.

“I would remember if a pretty girl like you ever talked to me,” he teased.

She took her goggles off and watched him. There were tears in her eyes. Real, tears of pain. He frowned and she sighed.

“You’re cruel, Dick. You confessed to me here,” she smiled sadly. “What did I think, huh, that Dick Grayson the first boy wonder would remember me. I’m an idiot.”

Dick froze. He wanted to say something but his mouth closed and opened without any sound coming out. That couldn’t be true. She was lying. He looked back at her and pointed his finger to her face.

“Stray?” he said voice shaking. She turned her head to him.

“At least you remember my name,” she joked.

“No, no that’s impossible!” he stood up.

“What the hell, Dick!” she said watching him warily.

“No, you were a boy!” he practically screamed. She stopped working. Full 404 page not found. Stray.exe couldn’t find your file.

“Sorry, what?” she asked.

“You were a boy, Stray is a boy, a cute frail boy I’ll give you that, but not a girl!” he said throwing his hands in the air.

“Are you an idiot?” she asked terribly serious.

“Show me your hair,” Dick ordered remembering the white curl Stray had.

“No, fuck you,” she said standing up. “Suck my ass, Dick.”

“Wait! Jace!” he said before she jumped. She watched him, and he recognized the eyes. “Oh my god, it’s really you.”

“Yes,” she said unsure.

“Wow, wow. Oh my god. I wasn’t expecting that at all,” he confessed. “You grew up so much!” he said taking a step to her. She flustered.

“Yeah, you know adolescence and all that stuff,” she said kicking something with her boot.

“You were so small!” he laughed.

“Yeah, whatever,” she mumbled.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” he said without thinking. She frowned.

“I did! I gave you a letter!” she said tensing.

“You never gave me a letter,” he stated.

“Of course I did! I gave you a book with a letter inside!” Dick stepped back. Oh! He remembered that book. Oops.“You never opened the book, did you?” she said accusingly.

“I…No. It was big and you know I was never into reading, but I read a summary and kept it with me!”

“It was Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo, you dickhead, my favorite book! I spent three weeks writing my letter, you asshole,” she shouted.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m sorry, Jace! Please forgive me.”

“Fuck you,” she jumped from the roof.

  
Selina found Dick during his patrol. To say he wasn’t expecting it wouldn’t be true, but he didn’t actually expect the claws and the scratches she left on his back. Selina was a protective mama, and honestly good for Jace, but as Alfred treated the wounds he couldn’t help but curse her.

“Maybe, master Dick, you could call the young lass and apologize? I don’t want to get you back in stripes next time you cross path with Miss Kyle.”

“But I don’t have her…oh…maybe I do!”

He ran to his bedroom and opened the book. The letter was here folded neatly waiting for him. He opened it and read it slowly, kicking himself for being an idiot. Her handwriting was delicate, not pretty, but he could see that she had spent time writing it. And at the end a phone number and a smiley face. He called immediately, hoping that she hadn’t changed her phone number in the meantime.

“Hello?” she said softly. He probably woke her up.

“Hey,” he answered.

“Why did you call me, Dick?”

“To apologize. I’m sorry I didn’t read your book,” he said quietly.

“You don’t have to, I’ll tell Selina not to bother you. Good night, Dick.”

“Wait! Don’t hang up! Please!’

“What do you want?” she asked losing her patience.

“A date! I’ll take you to the opera. There is a show about your book, I can have two seats and then I’ll take you to a restaurant. Please, I want to see you, Jace.”

“When?” she said after a long time.

“Next week! We can go wherever you want, you can take me to eat your chilidogs if you want to.”

“You think they taste horrible.”

“Anything for you,” he answered.

“Idiot,” she breathed fondly. “Okay, alright. See you next week,” she hung up.

Dick threw himself on his huge bed, his excited screech muffled in his pillow.


	3. Arranged marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! third of FemJay and the last for me!  
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos, hope you'll like this one!  
> No Cape Au  
> Royalty Au  
> DamiJay

Elizabeth Jace “Jay” Falcone had been adopted by Don Carmine Falcone when her father sold her to pay his debts. Falcone who had just lost his entire family to a sickness decided to take her completely appalled by what his men had told him. The girl had been a baby, just born and so small. She had smiled in his arms and that day Carmine Falcone had sworn to protect her until his dying breath.

  
Jay grew up within the family, as the daughter of the Duke. People liked the small girl running around them, helping them when she could, playing with their children because she had no one else to play within the castle. Carmine taught her everything he knew, he made her the Lady of his lands, Jay was to be able to take care of her people once he died as her grandmother did before her. He cultivated her mind and curiosity, he encouraged her bravery and defiance. Jay Falcone was a sight to behold and a terrifying picture for the more traditional men around her.

  
Jay enjoyed her freedom and counted on adoption to carry on the Falcone name as her father did with her. But the famine came and ravaged their lands, potatoes field destroyed, corns drowned because of the weather, animals sick and dead. Carmine was at loss, he couldn’t help his people, and neither could he let them die.

  
Jay seeing her father growing restless because of the situation, noticing how each day seemed to age him a year, decided to intervene. One night in her father’s study she came. She was ready and if she wanted to be the new Falcone Lady she had to make a sacrifice. Carmine was holding his head in his hands, hopeless. He gave her a small weak smile that broke her heart but steeled her resolve.

“Sell me off,” he looked at her bewildered.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” he chuckled.

“Father, please. You can’t save them without money. Baronets and Knights would give a small fortune to be able to marry in our rank. I don’t fancy anyone so nothing to lose, and I would still be a Falcone,” she said kneeling in front of him.

“I can’t ask you to do that, I would never have asked Sophia to do that,” Carmine said taking her face in his hands.

“You don’t have to ask,” she answered kissing the palm of her father’s hand. “Just to allow it.”

  
In a week, words of Elizabeth Falcone, sole heir to Carmine Falcone, searching for a suitor traveled the country. Her own people heartbroken to see their Lady sold to the highest bidder. Other Dukes came to her, they met her and chanted her beauty with a thousand different words. Jay kept her head high and waited until her father finally settled the deal. She did rather like the son of Oliver Queen, they matched in wit and he defied her to a match of archery. Her father seemed pleased with him too and she thought she was going to marry him.  
Until the King, himself came.

Bruce Wayne the Benevolent, son of Martha and Thomas Wayne. Father of two adopted sons and one blood heir who had lived with his mother the Princess Talia Al Ghul in her country Nanda Parbat. The king had sent a letter to Carmine Falcone warning him of his visit two weeks later to congratulate Jay for her decision to marry.  
Jay had met the King and his sons before, during parties and ceremonies. She had loved Prince Richard’s smile, and Prince Timothy’s wit, on the other hand, Damian Al Ghul Wayne was the most execrable man she had ever met in her life. He had barely talked to her the first time they met, ignored her totally the second time, and on the third time, he had insulted the nobles fooling with the commoners while watching her.

When the King arrived, Jay and her father were at the gates ready to welcome the royal family. Jay bowed to the King and then looked behind him to see the Princes, she wanted to show Timothy her library, and ride with Richard, unfortunately only Damian stepped out of the carriage. Jay deflated instantly and the King chuckled.

“Don’t be so sad, you’ll break his heart. My other sons will arrive in an hour or so, they were delayed during our journey,” King Bruce smiled to her.

“I am always delighted to see his highness, Prince Damian,” she answered sheepishly.

“Be patient with him, Jay. He grew up since you’ve seen him, you too so it appears,” the King said before turning to Carmine.

And grew up did the Pince Damian. He had been almost as tall as Jay last time they met six years ago, and now he was towering her by at least a feet, she had to look up to see him smile softly at her. Damian had his father’s face but his mother’s eyes and skin. He was stunning, even Jay had to admit it.  
Damian took her hand and kissed it softly like she was precious china looking at her in the eyes the entire time. Jay smiled and asked how his journey was and he answered politely. His voice has changed too during the six years. It was deep and rich, a bit like his father, and almost nice to listen to.

Jay stayed behind during the tour of their castle, she tried to catch the sight of the gates be no sign of Richard and Timothy. Her father threw her some curious glance but kept talking to the King. At one point in the gardens, she saw the King and her father going away for so privacy and stayed at the edges of the rose garden. Damian was next to her, looking closely at the purple roses.

“They are stunning,” she heard him mutter.

“Sophia Falcone's garden, she used to take care of it before she died. I tried to bring it back to its glory,” Jay explained. Her father couldn’t even walk around the roses for the longest time when she had been a girl.

“You did a wonderful work,” he smiled at her. Jay answered with a tight smile, she wasn’t used to polite Prince Damian. “I…” but horses whinnying interrupted him.

Jay turned to see Prince Richard and Timothy on horseback speeding through the gates. She ran to them with the biggest smile she could possibly make. Her dress slowed her down but she joined them quickly enough. Richard jumped down his horse and took her in his arms.

“I’m so happy to see you,” Jay shouted in his ears as he started to make them spin.

“Couldn’t wait to see your pretty smile, Jay!”

He let her go before they got sick and Tim gave her a kind hello. Damian appeared behind them in a minute scowling a little. He asked with a new stiffness if his brothers traveled well, Dick smiled and took his little brother under his arm to walk with him but Damian rebuffed him. Jay didn’t miss the way Tim gave a shrug not looking surprised.  
Jay lead them in the castle and showed them their rooms while she talked a lot with Richard about her new mare and how he must go with her on a ride the next day. Dick accepted to come only if his brothers could come and Jay can only bow to the princes.  
During their small tour, Damian apologized and left them to go to his room and rest before the banquet. Jay let him go, frowning a little.

“What happened to him? He was so nice a minute ago,” Jay asked Richard.

“Don’t hold him against him, there was some unexpected development before we came,” Tim explained, cryptic.

“You ought to tell me everything, but before that, I need to show you my library, it grew quite a lot since you last came,” Jay said smiling.

The banquet was huge but necessary Jay told herself. She couldn't help thinking about the people dying of hunger in their house while they needed to have such a frivolous evening. However, it was a mean to an end, and the people would be saved through the wedding coming. The Duke Queen was a very wealthy man that could help them and having the Kind benediction was the greatest honor.  
Jay sat next to her father in front of Damian during the meal. She spoke with him for a moment but he kept on cutting the discussion short, she abandoned. Her father gave her a small smile and turned back to the King and his stories.

The next day Richard came with her to the stables to saddle their horses, Tim preferred to stay in his room and would probably come to watch them at some point, as for the last prince he wasn’t in his room and didn’t come to the rendezvous.  
Jay jumped on her horse and took an early start leaving Dick behind her. Quickly, the prince caught up with her, smiling like an idiot. He pushed his station until the horse went past Jay. She shook her head laughing, no one was as fast as the prince and his Robin. As she was thinking about taking a shortcut to the small river they were going to eat lunch, she heard another horse behind her. Damian appeared on his brown almost red horse, he rode past her and nodded, then used his reins to push the horse, and managed to pass Dick.  
When she finally reached the river, Jay saw the two princes talking while their horses were drinking from the stream. Damian had outgrown his older brother. Dick pushed Damian with an easy smile, they were fighting about who had won the race. They spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon laying own the grass playing cards and telling stories, Tim joined them for the lunch saying that he wasn't feeling like spending his time with his father when he could have fun with them.

During the evening, Jay kidnapped the prince Timothy to brag about her collection of rare books. He followed smiling, she crossed path with Damian, and Jay asked him if he wanted to come, knowing that he was also a great reader. They stepped into Jay’s favorite room. She opened the curtains and lit up the candles to show her books.  
Timothy started to run through the bookshelves looking at the covers. Damian stayed next to her.

“Which one are your favorites?” he finally asked after a handful of minutes.

“I’ll show you,” she said taking his hand without thinking.

She led him to her favorite section, ancient mythology. She had pictures of the myths and a small sculpture of Achilles and Patroclus. Damian spotted some books that he thought he would never see again.

“You have tales from my home,” he said.

“Obviously, my father trades a lot with Nanda Parbat’s crown. And your mother, Princess Talia, has been kind enough to teach me her language and send me books.”

He stopped in front of a gold and green book. He took it and smiled softly while opening it. He read the few lines and put it back.

“It’s my favorite,” he said.

“Me too, Scheherazade’s stories are my favorites too,” Jay answered caressing the book.

“I could read it to you if you want? In Arabic,” he said looking shy.

“I would love too! Oh! Do you know how to make baklava? I ate some last time your mother came and I forgot to ask for the recipe!”

“I’ve never…I’ve never cooked,” he answered.

“That makes sense,” she smiled sheepishly.

That night, at the end of the dinner, Carmine asked for Jay to come and meet her in his study. He was smiling but the fatigue was killing him.

“Everything is almost over father, once the King is gone I’m sure the Duke Queen will ask to meet you,” Jay said massaging her father’s shoulders.

“He withdrew,” Carmine said.

“What?” Jay said freezing. “But I was so sure.”

“I received a letter today, the Duke said that the King asked him to withdrew if his son wasn’t in love with you,” Carmine explained.

“Why would the King do that,” her father grimaced.

“Well, this is why I called you.”

“I won’t like it, will I?”

“The King made a generous offer. More than enough to save our lands for the next ten years,” Carmine explained.

“Which one of them?” Jay said walking to face her father.

“Damian,” Carmine said in a breath.

“What…”

“He said that it was important to him. The King said that he would be happy to have you marry his son.”

“But he is the heir to the throne and a Prince of the East! He is the blood son, I’m not even true nobility,” Jay said awestruck.

“Don't ever say you're not my daughter,Jay!” Carmine interrupted her. “He said it was important that you married him.”

“Can’t it be Richard? At least he is fun to be around,” Jay said sitting on her father’s desk.

“Jay, you can still say no.”

“No, I’ll marry him. We need them, and I can see myself as the future queen,” she joked. “When is he supposed to ask for my hand,” she inquired.

“In two days, in the gardens,” Carmine smiled.

“How original,” Jay teased.

  
The moment she was out of the study she went to the princes’ quarters and knocked on Richard's door. He opened to reveal Timothy with him, eating fruits. Jay walked in without waiting for an invitation.

“Who was going to tell me that your brother was going to be my husband?” she said throwing herself on one of the seats.

“Ah, your father told you,” Dick sighed.

“Yes. So, why does the King want to see me marry his heir?”

“It’s not Bruce,” Dick said.

“Dick,” Tim warned.

“She has the right to know, they are almost married anyway,” Dick shot back.

“And now, she really wants to know,” Jay said.

“Damian has been in love with you since your first meeting,” Dick confessed. “He told us at that time and we teased him, relentlessly, he said he felt awful because he thought you were pretty but couldn’t talk to you because he was too shy.”

“I was, like, ten at the time.”

“And he was eight, in a foreign country, with foreign norms, and foreign people. He said he had never seen eyes as blue as yours,” Tim said smiling.

“The poor boy couldn’t even say your name without turning red,” Dick joked. “The second time his voice was changing and he didn’t want you to hear it. He cried the entire day in my room because he thought you hated him.”

“And the third time he was an ass,” Jay completed.

“Yes, well Bruce heard about that and made him clean the stables for six months,” Dick answered grimacing.

“And, he was mean because he had thought, like an idiot, that if you hated him you would never come back to our castle,” Tim stated.

“You should've seen him when Roy came to brag about how pretty you were and how sure he was that you were going to be his wife,” Dick laughed. “I thought he was going to kill him.”

“He immediately asked Bruce for help, he said he wanted to see you and to be the one to marry you.”

“I didn’t know,” Jay whispered.

“He is a secretive boy,” Dick said.

“And jealous,” Tim mocked exchanging a look with his older brother. “I thought he was going to kill Dick when we arrived.”

“He screamed at me that night, he said that I was the worst and that if you were in love with me he would fight me,” Dick chuckled.

“An idiot,” Tim approved.

  
Jay stayed in her room the next day. She had been oblivious to Damian’s affection for so much time and now that she knew everything made a little more sense. Damian came to her room and asked if she thought she could handle a walk in the garden tomorrow morning. Jay smiled and said yes and Damian seemed to relax instantly.

  
The next day came quickly, Jay was enjoying her tea when a shadow fell upon her book. She turned to see Damian with something in his hands. His eyes were bloodshot as if hadn’t slept. He was tapping his fingers against the paper he held. Jay stood up and took the arm he offered.  
They walked for a few minutes until Damian managed to be brave enough. He had led them to the rose garden and let go of Jay’s arm. She eyed him, trying to keep her smile from running the Prince’s grand confession, he gave her the paper.

“I…I made this for you, I think it’s prett…I think you are pretty and that you could like it, not because you’re pretty but because you like art and also because you like flowers…I…hum…it’s for you,” he said waiting for her reaction.

It was a drawing, charcoal, it was her laughing surrounded by roses. She took some time detailing the picture, feeling like it was too pretty to be her. She looked up and saw the worried look Damian had on his face.

“I’m sorry, there is no color, I couldn’t bring them during the travel but I’m sure I can do something better next time,” he panicked, as small fluff on his cheeks. She reached for his face.

“Thank you, Damian, I love it,” she said smiling. He stopped talking, opened, and closed his mouth.

“I love you,” he said suddenly. His eyes opened widely giving him a comical expression. “Sorry, it’s just that I don’t think I would have been able to say it if I waited any longer,” he took a long breath and locked eyes with her. “I’ve loved you since I first saw you, your eyes and mind have enthralled me, body and soul. I can’t wish for any other woman to marry and would be the most blessed man on earth if you accepted to spent even a minute with me. I would cherish and love you until my last breath and well after. I love you and I can’t think when you look at me, I can’t talk if you are in the same room as me, and I stop breathing if I am next to you. You have enslaved me the first time you called my name, Jay” he declared.

Jay stopped breathing. She observed him, his cheeks slightly red, his hands shaking, his eyes closed waiting for her answer like the final judgment. Jay chuckled.

“It would be my greatest pleasure to call you my husband, Damian,” she whispered. He opened his eyes and the green was full of adoration. He closed the gap between them and pressed a delicate kiss to her forehead.

“Habibi,” he murmured against her skin.


End file.
